How much fat do you consume?

[ecip78824 20]

I'm almost 4 weeks post-op and still on my soft foods stage. I'm tracking my food on My Fitness Pal and focusing on getting 60 grams of Protein (which is hit and miss) and keeping under 120 grams of carbs (which is really easy, I usually do half that). However, my doctor/nutritionist never made any mention of a suggested fat intake. Almost every day I go over the My Fitness Pal's suggested fat intake. I'm eating LOTS of dairy right now (yogurt, cheese sticks, cottage cheese cups, milk, etc.) and I try to do low-fat and skim options, but day after day my fat continues to run high. I'm not sure how concerned I should be at this point. I've lost about 20 pounds post-op, but I have been stalled for almost a week. I'm not too worried about the stall since I know that it's common to stall at this point and I haven't really started exercising yet. I'm just afraid that I may be slowing myself further by consuming too much fat. Does anyone want to share their usual daily fat intake?

[ItsMe2033 143]

Lot's of people have a stall at the 3 week point, so I think that is what is going on in your case, so just stick with the plan and you will be fine.

Your NUT has probably given you three numbers to focus on.

1) Ounces of Fluid per day

2) Grams of Protein per day

3) Total calories per day

As long as you are sticking by those numbers, it doesn't really matter how the calories are distributed. I would encourage you to always reach your Protein goal. I think you should probably aim for 80 grams of protein instead of 60. Are you drinking Protein Shakes? There are also tons of threads on here about alternatives to protein shakes if you aren't drinking them.

As far as other calories are concerned, they can come from protein, fat, or carbs. If you have a certain level of protein intake, and if you want to keep your calories the same then if you cut carbs then you must increase fat. There is nothing to be concerned about here. Remember that my fitness pal is a general website, not one geared specifically to people who have had weight loss surgery.

I'm glad that you've made the decision to cut back on your carbs. As long as you are meeting your three targets (fluids, protein, and total calories) then don't worry about your fat consumption.

To answer your specific question,I try to get 800 - 1000 calories per day. If I consume 125 grams of protein in a day, that's 500 calories. The other 500 have to come from the remaining groups. In my case I generally consume 20 - 30 grams of carbs per day, so the rest will come from fat. 30 grams of carbs is 120 calories, which means that I will consume 380 calories of fat, or 42 grams of fat per day.

Edited October 22, 2013 by ItsMe2033

[ecip78824 20]

Thank you so much! You've made me so relieved. That's almost exactly the amount of fat I'm getting. I need to push my Protein, but that's really because I can't stand the Protein Shakes anymore. I did force myself to drink an Isopure yesterday and I made it to 80 grams of protein, so I think I'm just going to have to suck it up and deal with the nasty taste. I'm hoping that when I start solid foods I can try to get more protein from lean chicken and fish and maybe avoid the protein shakes altogether. Thanks again!

[aliekat55 157]

if you have not tried Unjury Protein Shakes they are worth a shot. i found them highly superior in taste to the others. I exercise a lot and had to increase my calorie (ergo protein) intake to 150gm a day and i could not do it without that. even with that it is a challenge on most days. my Nut has me on 45% carbs 30 Protein 25% fat but that is based on a 1500-1600 calorie diet (dont know how i am still losing on that large a number). when i was at 1200 the % protein was higher and the fat was lower.

[dp81796 33]

This is a table my surgeon gave me. I know everyone is different but maybe it will help.

[ItsMe2033 143]

Thank you so much! You've made me so relieved. That's almost exactly the amount of fat I'm getting. I need to push my Protein, but that's really because I can't stand the Protein Shakes anymore. I did force myself to drink an Isopure yesterday and I made it to 80 grams of Protein, so I think I'm just going to have to suck it up and deal with the nasty taste. I'm hoping that when I start solid foods I can try to get more protein from lean chicken and fish and maybe avoid the protein shakes altogether. Thanks again!

I discussed my level of carb/fat consumption with my NUT. She was fully in support of what I was trying to do by reducing my carbs. She said that the recommended percentages are just intended for the typical diet after having the sleeve.